Boat accessory rack

ABSTRACT

A universal boat accessory rack that provides a first support, a second support, a cross-bar connecting the first support to the second support, and a plurality of fasteners, which connect the first support and second support to a boat hull. More specifically, the first support, the second support and the cross-bar are all adjustable in length. Therefore, the boat accessory rack has an adjustable height, width and depth. In addition, the fasteners are capable of being attached in a vertical, horizontal or angular position with respect to the boat hull. In this manner, a boat owner may quickly and easily install the boat accessory rack on boats embodying a number of different sizes and designs.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a boat accessory rack and,more particularly, to an adjustable boat accessory rack that may beattached to a variety of different boats.

Since small boats are used to tow water skiers, a common problem forsuch boat owners is that there is not enough room within the boat hullfor the water skiers and their accompanying ski accessories. To solvethis problem many boat owners have added ski racks to store theseaccessies, i.e., water skis, wake boards, and similar accessories.Examples of such boat accessory racks can be seen in U.S. Pat. No.4,582,015 (the “'015 Patent), U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,754 (the “'754 Patent)and U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,350 (the “'350 Patent”).

While these known boat accessory racks work for their intended purpose,there are drawbacks in their designs. For example, because known boataccessory racks, such as the rack disclosed in the '350 Patent, areconstructed as a welded, generally unitary structures, boat accessoryracks have to be custom designed for installation on particular boats.This often requires professional installation which is costly to theconsumer. Furthermore, the large nature of these unitary structureseliminates the ability to ship boat accessory racks via common carrier,thus, further increasing the cost of such racks to consumers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To overcome the disadvantages noted above, the present invention isdirected to a universal boat accessory rack with a first support, asecond support, a cross-bar connecting the first support to the secondsupport, and a plurality of fasteners, which connect the first supportand second support to a boat hull. More specifically, the first support,the second support and the cross-bar are all adjustable in length.Therefore, the boat accessory rack has an adjustable height, width anddepth. In addition, the fasteners are capable of being attached in avertical, horizontal or angular position with respect to the boat hull.

A better understanding of the objects, advantages, features, propertiesand relationships of the invention will be obtained from the followingdetailed description and accompanying drawings which set forth anillustrative embodiment and which are indicative of the various ways inwhich the principles of the invention may be employed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to apreferred embodiment shown in the following drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of an exemplary boat accessory rack;

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the assembled boat accessory rack shown inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the assembled boat accessory rack shown inFIG. 2 in an extended form;

FIG. 4 shows a top view of exemplary center sections for slidablyengaging first and second legs of the boat accessory rack shown in FIG.1;

FIG. 5 shows a top view of an exemplary bolted clamp for fixing thelength of one of the legs of the boat accessory rack shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 shows a side view of the bolted clamp shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 shows a top view of an exemplary quick-release clamp for fixingthe width of one of the legs of the boat accessory rack shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 shows a side view of the quick release clamp shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 shows a top view of an exemplary bolted clamp with a femaleu-joint for attaching a cross bar to one of the legs of the boataccessory rack shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 shows a side view of the bolted clamp with the female u-jointshown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 shows an exploded view of an upper cross-bar for connectingfirst support legs to second support legs of the boat accessory rackshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 shows a side view of the upper cross-bar shown in FIG. 11 in acompact position;

FIG. 13 shows a side view of the upper cross-bar shown in FIG. 11 in anexpanded position;

FIG. 14 shows an exploded view of a lower cross-bar for connecting thefirst support legs to the second support legs of the boat accessory rackshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 15 shows a side view of the lower cross-bar shown in FIG. 14 in acompact position;

FIG. 16 shows a side view of the lower cross-bar shown in FIG. 14 in anexpanded position;

FIG. 17 shows a front view of an exemplary fastener for attaching thelegs of the boat accessory rack shown in FIG. 1 to a boat hull;

FIG. 18 shows a side view of the fastener shown in FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 shows an upper leg with a snap button for setting the legs andthe first support to a predetermined angular relation; and

FIG. 20 shows a section view of the upper leg and snap button shown inFIG. 19 along line A—A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Turning now to the figures, wherein like reference numerals refer tolike elements, there is illustrated a boat accessory rack 20. The boataccessory rack 20 is particularly advantageous as it is adjustable,thereby allowing the rack 20 to be quickly and easily attached to boatsof varying sizes. In particular, the boat accessory rack has anadjustable height, adjustable width, i.e., port to starboard, andadjustable depth, i.e., fore to aft, as well as a universal mountingassembly.

As shown in FIG. 1, the rack 20 may be comprised of a first support orfront support 22, and a second support or rear support 24, the firstsupport 22 being attached to the second support by one or morecross-bars 25. Each of the supports 22, 24 also include a first leg 26and a second leg 26, which are attached by a center section 29 and 31,respectively.

For adjusting the support 22, 24 in a generally vertical direction inrelation to the boat 34 and as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the legs arepreferably telescoping in nature. Since each of the supports 22, 24 arepreferably of a similar construction, the following description of thefirst leg 26 of the first support 22 is equally applicable to theremaining legs 26 on the supports 22, 24. The telescoping property ofthe first leg 26 may be achieved by constructing the first leg 26 withan upper leg 26 a and a lower leg 26 b, which is adapted to receive atleast a portion of the upper leg 26 a. To this end, the first leg 26 maybe constructed from a substantially hollow tube, where the upper leg 26a preferably assumes a smaller diameter than the lower leg 26 b. Thedifference in diameter between the upper leg 26 a and the lower leg 26 ballows a portion of upper leg 26 a to fit within a portion of the lowerleg 26 b. Thus, the upper and lower legs 26 a, 26 b are in slidableengagement with one another. This allows users to alter the height ofthe rack 20 by varying the length of the legs 26 as needed. Although theupper leg 26 a preferably fits within the lower leg 26 b, it should alsobe apparent to those with skill in the art that the lower leg 26 b couldalso be designed to fit within the upper leg 26 a.

To fix the length of the first leg 26, a clamp 36 may be attached to thelower leg 26 b near a point of intersection with the upper leg 26 a. Bytightening the clamp 36, the diameter of the lower leg 26 b may bereduced, thereby causing a frictional engagement between the upper leg26 a and the lower leg 26 b and preventing movement of the upper leg 26a with respect to the lower leg 26 b. To further ease the amount ofpressure needed to clamp the upper leg 26 a and the lower leg 26 btogether, it should be understood by those with skill in the art thatthe lower leg 26 b may include a slot 38, or similar opening, near thepoint of intersection with the upper leg 26 a.

For adjusting the supports 22, 24 in a generally horizontal direction inrelation to the boat 34 and as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, centersections 29 and 31, respectively, are used to telescoping connect thelegs 26 of each support 22, 24. Again, since each of the supports 22 and24 are preferably of a similar construction, the following descriptionof the first leg 26 and center section 29 is equally applicable to theremaining legs 26 of the respective supports 22, 24 and the centersections 29 and 31. The telescoping property of the first leg 26 may beachieved by constructing the center section 29 with a hollowed portioninto which the upper leg 26 a is slidable. To this end, the upper leg 26a preferably assumes a smaller diameter than the diameter of the centersection 29. The difference in diameter between the upper leg 26 a andthe center section 29 allows the upper leg 26 a to fit within thehollowed portion of the center section 29. Thus, the upper leg 26 a andthe center section 29 are in slidable engagement with one another. Thisallows users to alter the width of the rack 20 by varying the width ordistance between the first legs 26 and the second legs 26 as needed,while maintaining their connectivity. It should also be appreciated bythose with skill in the art that the upper leg 26 a may be of a largerdiameter than the center section 29 such that the center section 29 canbe slidably positioned within a hollowed portion of the upper leg 26 a.

To fix the width of the first leg 26, a clamp 36 may be attached to thecenter section 29 of the first support 22 near a point of intersectionwith the upper leg 26 a. By tightening the clamp 36, the diameter of thecenter section 29 may be reduced, thereby causing a frictionalengagement between the upper leg 26 a and the center section 29 andpreventing movement of the upper leg 26 a with respect to the centersection. To further ease the amount of pressure needed to clamp theupper leg 26 a and the center section 29 together, it should beunderstood by those with skill in the art that the center section mayinclude a slot 38, or similar opening, near the point of intersectionwith the upper leg 26 a.

The clamps 36 used in fixing the length or width of the legs 26 may bebolted clamps 36 a or quick-release clamps 36 b. As shown in FIGS. 5 and6, and as is known in the art, bolted clamps 36 a use threaded screws,or similar attachment members to tighten the clamp 36 a. As shown inFIG. 7 and 8, and as is known in the art, quick-release clamps 36 b usea lever and pin assembly. Although not required, it is preferred thatbolted clamps 36 a be used to fix the length of the legs 26 andquick-release clamps 36 b be used to fix the width of the legs 26, butit should be appreciated by those with skill in the art that the boltedclamps 36 a could be replaced with quick-release clamps 36 b and viceversa.

For towing water skiers, inner-tubes and the like, the center section 29of the first support 22 may preferably include a hitch 60. Although notrequired, the hitch preferably protrudes from the top of the centersection 29 in a substantially vertical direction with respect to theboat. A tow rope may be attached to the hitch 60 at one end and thewater skier on the other end, thereby allowing the boat accessory rack20 to act as a ski tower. It should be understood by those with skill inthe art that the hitch 60 could also be attached to the center section31 of the second support 24 or to other parts of the boat accessoryrack, and that the hitch could also protrude at an angle, or in asubstantially horizontal direction, with respect to the boat.

For adjusting the spacing between the first legs 26 and the second legs,respectively, on the second support 24, one or more adjustablecross-bars 25 a may be provided. Moreover, the present inventionpreferably includes a upper adjustable cross-bar 25 a 40 and a loweradjustable cross-bar 25 a″ for connecting the first legs 26 and thesecond legs 26.

In addition, fixed cross-bars 25 b may be provided to attach the centersection 29 of the first support 22 to the center section 29 of thesecond support 24; the fixed cross-bars 25 b are preferably fixedlyattached to the center section 29 and of a fixed length. It should alsobe understood, however, that in the alternative, the cross-bars 25 thatattach the center section 29 of the supports 22, 24 may be adjustable inlength.

As shown in FIGS. 11 through 16, to allow the adjustable cross-bars 25 ato have a varying length, each of the adjustable cross bars 25 a mayinclude a first member 40, a second member or mid-section 42, and athird member 44. One end of the first member 40 may be releasablyattached to the first leg 26 of the first support 22 and the other endof the first member 40 may be threadedly connected to the mid-section 42of the adjustable cross bar 25 a. Thus, when the first member is rotatedin a first direction, the first member 40 moves toward the mid-section42 and the distance therebetween becomes shorter. Similarly, one end ofthe third member 44 may be releasably attached to the first leg 26 ofthe second support structure 24 and the other end of the third member 44may be threadedly connected to the mid-section 42 of the adjustablecross bar 25 a. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 11-16, when the thirdmember is rotated in the first direction, the third member 44 also movestoward the mid-section and the distance therebetween becomes shorter.When the first member 42 and the third member 44 are rotated in a seconddirection, both members 42 and 44 move away from the mid-section 42 andthe distance therebetween becomes greater. As exemplified above, sincethe members 40, 44 are both threadedly connected to the mid-section 42,the first member 40 and the third member 44 must each be rotated in thesame direction in order to shorten or lengthen the respective distancebetween the members 40, 44 and the mid-section 42. Since each of theadjustable cross-bars 25 a may be of a similar design, the foregoingdescription of an adjustable cross-bar should be viewed as an exemplarydescription for any of the adjustable cross-bars 25 a.

For attaching the first members 40 and the third members 42 to the legs26, each of the members 40 and 42 include a clamp 36 c which slidablyengages the legs 26. Although not required, the clamp 36 c is preferablya bolted clamp. Moreover, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the clamp 36 calso includes a female u-joint 56 for pivotally attaching the members 40and 42 to the clamp 36 c. Since the clamp 36 c is in slidable engagementwith the legs 26, it should be appreciated by those with skill in theart that the clamp 36 c may be attached at any point on the legs 26. Itshould also be appreciated by those with skill in the art that aquick-release clamp with a female u-joint could also be used to attachthe members 40 and 42 to the legs 26.

As shown in FIG. 1, for attaching the legs 26 of the supports 22, 24 tothe boat, a plurality of fasteners 46 are provided. As shown in greaterdetail in FIGS. 1, 17 and 18, each of the fasteners 46 are comprised ofa ball joint 48 and a mount 50, the ball joint 48 connecting one of thelegs 26 to the mount 50 and the mount 50 being attached to the boat. Asshown in FIG. 18, to attach the ball joint 48 to the mount 50, the mount50 may include a groove 52 with one unobstructed side for receiving theball joint 48. Further, assuming that the groove 52 extendshorizontally, the ball joint is generally unable to move up or down in avertical direction. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 17, once the ball joint48 is seated in the groove 52, a pin 54 may be inserted into an aperture56, which extends through the side walls of the mount 50, therebycausing the pin 54 to lock the ball joint 48 within the mount 50.

While not required, it is preferred that the ball joint be removablefrom the mount. This is important for assisting in the installation ofthe rack 20 and for storing the rack. More specifically, by removing thepin 54 and sliding the ball joint 48 out from within the groove, theball joint 48 can be readily removed from the mount, thereby detachingthe legs 26 from the boat hull.

It should be apparent to those with skill in the art that, although theball joint 48 is locked within the mount 50, the ball joint may berotated a full 360 degrees with respect to the mount 50 and the firstleg 26 is also pivotable by up to 180 degrees with respect to the mount50. The rotatability of the ball joint 48 with respect to the mount 50and the pivotability of the first leg 26 with respect to the mount 50allow the mount to be secured in nearly any position with regard to thehull of the boat, including at an angle, in a vertical position or in ahorizontal position with respect to the boat.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 4, 20 and 21, to ensure the proper angularorientation of the boat accessory rack during installation of the rack20, the upper leg of the first leg 26 and the second leg 26 of thesecond support 24 may include a spring-loaded, snap button 56 and thecenter section 31 of the second support 24 may include a slot 58 forreceiving the spring-loaded, snap button 56, thereby releasably fixingthe rotation of the legs 26 of the second support 24 with respect to thecenter section 31 of the second support 24. Thus, in a manner thatshould be evident to those with skill in the art, by strategicallyplacing the slot 58 and the spring-loaded, snap button 56, the legs 26may be preset to assume a specific angular relation with respect to theboat. The preferred angular presetting is 18 degrees from vertical,however, it should be understood that this presetting may assume avarying angular relation with respect to the boat. It should also beapparent to those with skill in the art that the snap button 56 and theslot 58 could be located on the center section 29 of the first support22. It should also be apparent to those with skill in the art that thelegs 26 may also be rotatably adjustable with respect to the centersections 29 and 31 of the supports 22 and 24, respectively.

By attaching the supports 22, 24 to the boat in the described manner,the rack 20 may be installed quickly and easily, and may be adjusted tofit boats of varying sizes and designs.

While specific embodiments of the present invention have been describedin detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art thatvarious modifications and alternatives to those details could bedeveloped in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure.Accordingly, the particular arrangement disclosed is meant to beillustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the inventionwhich is to be given the full breadth of the appended claims and anyequivalents thereof. It should also be understood that all patentsdiscussed in this document are to be incorporated herein by reference intheir entirety.

What is claimed is:
 1. A boat accessory rack, comprising: a firstsupport of adjustable height; a second support of adjustable height; across-bar of adjustable length connecting the first support to thesecond support whereby the spacing between the first support and thesecond support is adjustable; wherein the crossbar comprises a firstmember connected to the first support and a second member connected tothe second support, wherein the first member and second member areadjustably coupled; a third member threadably engaged with the first andsecond members; and a plurality of fasteners for connecting the firstsupport and the second support to a boat hull.
 2. The boat accessoryrack as recited in claim 1, where the fasteners are adapted toreleasably attach the first support and the second support to the boathull.
 3. The boat accessory rack as recited in claim 1, wherein thefirst support comprises a generally vertically orientable, telescopingfirst leg and a generally vertically orientable, telescoping second leg.4. The boat accessory rack as recited in claim 3, wherein the firstsupport member comprises a generally horizontally oriented centersection that telescopingly connects the first leg with the second leg.5. The boat accessory rack as recited in claim 1, wherein the firstmember is adapted to connect with the first support at a plurality ofdifferent locations along the length of one of the legs on the firstsupport and wherein the second member is adapted to connect with thesecond support at a plurality of different locations along the length ofthe respective leg on the second support.
 6. The boat accessory rack asrecited in claim 5, wherein the first member comprises a first clampwhich is slidably attachable to one of the legs on the first support andthe second member comprises a second clamp which is slidably attachableto the respective leg on the second support.
 7. The boat accessory rackas recited in claim 1, wherein the first member is rotatable withrespect to the first support and wherein the second member is rotatablewith respect to the second support.
 8. The boat accessory rack asrecited in claim 1, wherein the second support further comprises a hitchto which a ski rope is attachable.
 9. A boat accessory rack, comprising:a first support of adjustable height; a second support of adjustableheight; a cross-bar of adjustable length connecting the first support tothe second support whereby the spacing between the first support and thesecond support is adjustable; and a plurality of fasteners forconnecting the first support and the second support to a boat hull;wherein the first support includes a telescoping first leg, atelescoping second leg and a first center section telescopingly linkingthe first leg to the second leg, the second support includes atelescoping third leg, a telescoping fourth leg and a second centersection telescopingly linking the third leg to the fourth leg andwherein the first center section is fixedly connect to the second centersection.
 10. The boat accessory rack as recited in claim 9, furthercomprising a plurality of cross-links that are welded to the firstcenter section and the second center section.
 11. The boat accessoryrack as recited in claim 10, further comprising a plurality ofquick-release clamps for use in connecting the first leg and the secondleg to the first center section and the third leg and the fourth leg tothe second center section.
 12. A boat, comprised of: a boat hull; a boataccessory rack having a plurality of legs; and a plurality of fastenerscomprising a ball joint attachable to a respective one of the pluralityof legs and a mount attachable to the boat hull, wherein whilemaintaining connectivity to the legs, the ball joint and the mount, theball joint is capable of being rotated approximately 360 degrees withrespect to the mount and the legs are capable of being pivotedapproximately 180 degrees with respect to the mount.
 13. A boataccessory rack, comprising: a plurality of legs; and a plurality offasteners comprising a ball joint attachable to a respective one of theplurality of legs and a mount attachable to a boat hull wherein the balljoint is capable of being rotated approximately 360 degrees with respectto the mount and the legs are capable of being pivoted approximately 180degrees with respect to the mount.
 14. The boat as defined in claim 13,wherein the mount is releasably attachable to the boat hull.
 15. A boataccessory rack, comprising: a first support having an adjustableorientation with respect to vertical; a second support having anadjustable orientation with respect to vertical; a cross-bar connectingthe first support to the second support; a plurality of fasteners forconnecting the first support and the second support to a boat hull; andan angular orientation guide associated with the first support thatindicates when the first support is oriented at a predetermined anglewith respect to vertical.
 16. The boat accessory rack as recited inclaim 15, wherein the predetermined angle is approximately eighteendegrees from vertical.
 17. The boat accessory rack as recited in claim15, wherein the first support comprises a leg and a center section thatis rotatably attached to the leg and the angular orientation guidecomprises a cooperating slot and snap button, the cooperating slot andthe snap button each being associated with one of the legs and therespective center section, wherein the slot and the snap button becomeengaged when the first support is oriented at the predetermined angle.18. A boat accessory rack, comprising; a first support having a firstleg, a second leg and a first center section releasably connecting thefirst leg to the second leg; a second support having a third leg, afourth leg and a second center section releasably connecting the thirdleg to the fourth leg; a cross-bar releasably attaching the firstsupport to the second support; and a plurality of fasteners forconnecting the first support and the second support to a boat hull;wherein the first leg and the second leg each comprise a lower legconnectable to a respective one of the plurality of fasteners and anupper leg releasably connected with the first center section and whereinthe lower leg is in releasable, telescopic engagement with the upperleg.
 19. The boat accessory rack as recited in claim 18, wherein thefirst center section and the second center section are welded togetherto form a unitary structure.
 20. A boat accessory rack, comprising; afirst support having a first leg, a second leg and a first centersection releasably connecting the first leg to the second leg; a secondsupport having a third leg, a fourth leg and a second center sectionreleasably connecting the third leg to the fourth leg; a cross-barreleasably attaching the first support to the second support; and aplurality of fasteners for connecting the first support and the secondsupport to a boat hull; wherein the third leg and the fourth leg eachcomprise a lower leg connectable to a respective one of the plurality offasteners and an upper leg releasably connected with the second centersection and wherein the lower leg is in releasable telescopic engagementwith the upper leg.
 21. An accessory rack for a boat having a first sideand a second side opposite the first side, comprising: a first supportof adjustable width having a first leg and a second leg; a secondsupport of adjustable width having a third leg and a fourth leg; aplurality of fasteners for connecting the first leg and the third leg tothe first side of the boat and the second leg and the fourth leg to thesecond side of the boat whereby the first support and the second supporteach span across a width of the boat defined between the first side ofthe boat and the second side of the boat; and a cross-bar of adjustablelength connecting the first support to the second support such that thespacing between the first support and the second support measured alonga length of the boat is variable.
 22. The accessory rack as recited inclaim 21, wherein the first support has an adjustable height and thesecond support has an adjustable height.
 23. The accessory rack asrecited in claim 22, wherein the first support and the second supportare generally U-shaped.
 24. The accessory rack as recited in claim 22,wherein the fasteners are adapted to releasably attach the first,second, third, and fourth legs to the boat.
 25. The accessory rack asrecited in claim 22, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth legseach comprise a first member in telescoping engagement with a secondmember.
 26. The accessory rack as recited in claim 22, wherein thecross-bar comprises a first member connected to the first support and asecond member connected to the second support, the first member and thesecond member being adjustably coupled.
 27. The accessory rack asrecited in claim 26, wherein the first member is threadably coupled withthe second member.
 28. The accessory rack as recited in claim 26,wherein the first member comprises a first clamp that is slidablyattached to the first support and the second member comprises a secondclamp that is slidably attached to the second support.
 29. A boat,comprising: a boat hull having a first side and a second side oppositethe first side; and an accessory rack comprising: a first support ofadjustable width having a first leg and a second leg; a second supportof adjustable width having a third leg and a fourth leg; a plural offasteners for connecting the first leg and the third leg to the firstside of the boat and the second leg and the fourth leg to the secondside of the boat whereby the first support and the second support eachspan across a width of the boat defined between the first side of theboat and the second side of the boat; and a cross-bar of adjustablelength connecting the first support to the second support such that thespacing between the first support and the second support measured alonga length of the boat is variable.
 30. The boat as recited in claim 29,wherein the first support has an adjustable height and the secondsupport has an adjustable height.
 31. The boat as recited in claim 29,wherein the first support and the second support are generally U-shaped.32. The boat as recited in claim 29, wherein the fasteners are adaptedto releasably attach the first, second, third, and fourth legs to theboat.
 33. The boat as recited in claim 29, wherein the first, second,third, and fourth legs each comprise a first member in telescopingengagement with a second member.
 34. The boat as recited in claim 29,wherein the cross-bar comprises a first member connected to the firstsupport and a second member connected to the second support, the firstmember and the second member being adjustably coupled.
 35. The boat asrecited in claim 34, wherein the first member is threadably coupled withthe second member.
 36. The boat as recited in claim 34, wherein thefirst member comprises a first clamp that is slidably attached to thefirst support and the second member comprises a second clamp that isslidably attached to the second support.